Inghouse electric



Oct. ll., 1932. w, Q FLANDERS 1,881,443

TURBINE AND CONDENSER CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 28, 1951 s www@ n/Q .5. FLAME/2.5.

Patented Oct. 11, 1932 iran STATES .PATENT OFFICE WARREN B. FLANDERS, F `PIII'LADELPI-IIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WEST- INGHOUSE ELECTRIC & lVlANU'IFAC'lU-RINGy COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA TRBINEAND CONDENSER CONSTRUCTION Application led February 28,1931. Serial No. 519,225.

My invention relates to a turbine and condenser construction, and it has for its obj ect y j@ pose a condenser beneath the exhaust chamber of the turbine Vand connect the same thereto by an expansion joint. I connect a pressure-balancingr member to the upper side ofthe exhaust chamberby an expansion joint,

, i and to the condenser by compression struts.

The under side of said member is subjected to the absolute Vpressure within the exhaust chamber, and the downward atmospheric pressure on its upper side is transmitted :2.o through the struts to counterbalance the upward atmospheric pressure on the condenser.

The above and other objects are effected by my invention, as .will be apparent from the following description and claims taken 25 in connection with the accompanying drawing and forming a part of this application, .in which: 1

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a turbine and condenser unit in which the compression struts are disposed on the outsideof the turbine casing;

F 2 is a plan view of the unit Ashown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken 35 along the line III-III of Fig. 4, and showing a modified construction in which the compression struts are disposed interiorly of the turbine exhaust chamber; and,

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken along i0 the line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, I show in Figs. 1 and 2, a steam turbine supported in any suitable manner, as by transverse I-beams 11 and 12. The turbine 45 comprises a rotor 13 and a casing 14, the latter including' an exhaust chamber 15,through which the inotivefluid expanded in the turbine is exhausted from the casing.

The exhaust chamber 15 is formed with an outlet 16, throughwhich the exhaust fluid is and onits upper side to atmospheric presdischarged to a condenser 17. The condenser is formed with an inlet 18 which is connected, by means of an annular expansion joint 19, to the outlet 16 of the exhaust chamber. The condenser 17 is rigidly supported on the foundation 20 independently of the turbine, preferably resting on piersl and 19. The condenser carries a hotV vwell 21', which is rigid therewith. j

The exhaust chamber 15 is formed with an opening22 on its upper side which is closed by a pressure-balancing member '23. The latter is connected to the exhaust chamber by an annular expansion j oint` 24 vpermitting vertical movement of the member 23 relative` g5 to the exhaust chamber. rPhe pressure-balancing member 23 is rigidly connected to the condenser 17 by means of vertical compression struts 25, which are bolted at their lower ends to the condenser and at the upper ends to :fle projections 26 onV the member 23. In this embodiment, the struts25 are disposed outside of the exhaust chamber 15. y

The exhaust chamber 15is concaved, as shown in Fig.1,to accommodate the bearing The concavity extends upwardly a suficient extentto permit the bearing cover to be removed withouty disturbingthe turbine casing.

In operation, the condenser' maintains a .j vacuum within the steam condensing space of the condenserand within the exhaust chamber .15. The pressuresbalancing member 23 is .subjected on itslower side to this vacuum sure,.and the resultant downward force is .transmitted through the struts to the condenser 17. rIhe cross-sectional areas of the openings defined by the expansionjoints 19 and 24 are equal, sothat the. downward force ivf? transmitted from the member 23 through'the Vstruts25 will completely counterbalance the atmospheric pressure biasing the condenser 17 upwardly.

From the above description, it will be seen C that I have provided a construction wherein the atmospheric pressures on the turbine and onV the condenser are balanced, so .that the condenser may be supported independently of the turbinevand connected thereto by L lll wall.` In this form, the struts do not. pro-A vide any substantial hindrance to the flow of the exhaust fluid.

In order to facilitate assembly and disassembly of the turbine casing, which is dividedl along the horizontal plane ot the turbine axis as indicated at 28, the struts 27 are each divided adjacent said plane as indicated at 29, forming upper parts 3l and lower parts 82. The upper parts are secured to the pressure-balancing member 23, being preferably integral therewith andthe lower parts '32 are made integral with the condenser inlet connection "33. Since the struts transmit compression stresses, it is not necessary to rigidly connect the parts 3l and 82,`it being suiicient to abut them as shownat 29.

In order that the upper and lower parts of the struts may be held by the upper and lower parts of the casing, respectively, during assembly and disassembly, screws '34 are inserted, through slots 35 in the parts Vof the struts'and secured in the wall of the chamber. The slots 35 are of suliicient vertical extent to permit free vertical movement of the struts relative to the exhaust chamber.

It will be seen, therefore, that I have provided a further embodiment in which the struts do not interferewith the flow oi the exhaust fluid, and which do not require any bolting or unbolting otherthan that in connection with the casing proper. The operation of the pressure-balancing member 23 and the struts in balancing the atmospheric pressure on the condenser is identical with that of Figs. 1 and 2. Y

While the expansion joints preferably deline equal areas, as disclosed in the above embodiments, so that the atmospheric pressure on the pressure-balancing member completely balances the otherwise unbalanced atmospheric pressure on the condenser, it will be apparent that the benefits of the invention are obtained in any construction of the character disclosed in which the atmospheric pressure on the pressurc-balancingv member balances any substantial amount of the otherwise unbalanced atmospheric pressure on the condenser.

While I have shown my invention in two forms, it-will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it isnot so limited, but is sus-l ceptible of various other changes and modifications, withouty departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that; only such limitations shallV be placed thereupon ancing member with said upper openin as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

l/Vhat I claim is:

l. The combination of a turbine casing having an exhaust chamber, a condenser disposed below the exhaust chamber, an expansion joint connecting the condenser to vthe exhaust chamber, a pressure balancing member disposed above theexhaust chamber, an expansion joint connecting the pressure balancing member to the exhaust chamber, and

means for connecting the condenser to the pressure-balancing member 'for balancing the atmospheric pressures on the condenser and the pressure-balancing member.

2. The combination of a turbine exhaust chamber having upper and lower openings ofsubstantially equal areas, a condenser disposed bcneath the exhaust chamber, an cxpansion joint connecting the condenser inlet with said lower openingga pressure-balancing member, an expansion joint connecting the pressure-balancing member with said upper opening, and means for transmitting the downward force of the atmospheric pressure on said pressure-balancing member to the condenser to balance the upward force of the atmospheric pressure on the latter.

3. The. combination of a turbine exhaust chamber having upper and lower openings oi substantially equal areas, means for supporting the exhaust chamber, a condenser disposed beneath the exhaust chamber, means tor supporting the condenser independently of the exhaust chamber, an expansion joint con- -necting the condenser inlet with said lower opening, a pressure-balancing member, an expansion oint connecting the pressure-balg, and means for transmitting the downward force of the atmospheric pressure on said pressurebalancing member to the condenser to balance the upwardl force of the atmospheric pressure on the latter. j

4t. The combination of a turbine exhaust chamber having upper and lower openings of substantially equal areas and disposed in horizontal planes, means for supporting the exhaust chamber, a condenser disposed beneath the exhaust chamber, means for supporting th-e condenser independently of the exhaust chamber, an expansion joint connecting the condenser inlet with said lower opening, a pressure-balancing member, an expansionjoint connecting the pressure-balancing member with said upper opening, and means for transmitting the downward force of the atmospheric pressure on said pressure-balancing` member to the condenser to balance the upward force of the atmospheric pressure on the latte-r.

5. The combination of a foundation, a turbine casing having an exhaust chamber and supported on said foundation, a condenser pansion joint connecting the condenser to the exhaust chamber, a pressure-balancing member and an expansion joint connecting the same to the upper side of the exhaust chamber, said member being subjected on its up* per side to atmospheric pressure and on its lower side to the absolute pressure in the exhaust chamber, and a compression member between the pressure-balancing member and the condenser for transmitting the downward atmospheric pressure on the pressurebalancing member to the condenser to balance the upward atmospheric pressure on the latter.

6. The combination of a foundation, a turbine casing having an exhaust chamber and supported on said foundation, a condenser disposed below the exhaust chamber, an expansion joint connecting the condenser to the exhaust chamber, a pressure-'balancing member and an expansion joint :connecting the same to the upper side of the exhaust chamber, said member being subjected on its upper side to atmospheric pressure and on its lower side to the absolute pressure in the exhaust chamber, and struts for transmitting the downward atmospheric pressure on the pressure-balancing member toV the condenser to balance the upward atmospheric pressure on the latter, said struts being disposed within the exhaust chamber adjacent the wall thereof and conforming to the shape of said wall to minimize hindrance to iow of fluid through the exhaust chamber.

7. The combination of a foundation, a turbine casing having an exhaust chamber and supported on said foundation, said casing being` divided on the plane of the turbine axis, a condenser disposed below the exhaust chamber, an expansion joint connecting the condenser to the exhaust chamber, a pressurebalancing member and an expansion joint connecting the same to the upper side of the exhaust chamber, said member being subjected on its upper side to atmospheric pressure and on its lower side to the absolute pressure in the exhaust chamber, and a compression member between the pressure-balancing member and the condenser for transmitting the downward atmospheric pressure on the pressure-balancing member to the condenser to balance the upward atmospheric pressure on the latter, said compression member being divided adjacent said plane of division into two parts to facilitate assembly and disassembly of the turbine, one of said parts being attached to the pressure-balancing member and the other to the condenser.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 27 th day of Feb., 1931.

WARREN B. FLANDERS. 

